28 Man[a] wastes away like (A)a rotten thing,
    like a garment that is (B)moth-eaten.

Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All

14 “Man who is (C)born of a woman
    is (D)few of days and (E)full of trouble.
He comes out like (F)a flower and (G)withers;
    he flees like (H)a shadow and continues not.
And do you (I)open your eyes on such a one
    and (J)bring me into judgment with you?
Who can bring (K)a clean thing out of an unclean?
    There is not one.
Since his (L)days are determined,
    and (M)the number of his months is with you,
    and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
(N)look away from him and leave him alone,[b]
    that he may enjoy, like (O)a hired hand, his day.

Footnotes

  1. Job 13:28 Hebrew He
  2. Job 14:6 Probable reading; Hebrew look away from him, that he may cease

28 I waste away like rotting wood,
    like a moth-eaten coat.

14 “How frail is humanity!
    How short is life, how full of trouble!
We blossom like a flower and then wither.
    Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.
Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature
    and demand an accounting from me?
Who can bring purity out of an impure person?
    No one!
You have decided the length of our lives.
    You know how many months we will live,
    and we are not given a minute longer.
So leave us alone and let us rest!
    We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.